The ESRB rating has now been announced for MW2 and Warzone 2, and it reveals just how much "erotic content" there is. It's probably quite a bit more than fans were expecting.
Call of Duty has grown to take itself less-seriously over the years. In the early days the games were keenly focused on being a gritty portrayal of war. But as multiplayer became more significant, and then cosmetics as well as microtransactions, they've certainly allowed the game to go in "new directions". A perfect example would be Snoop Dogg, who is an operator in Warzone now. And of course, their other "new directions" include those ever-popular thirst skins.
In Modern Warfare 2019, MW2's predecessor, this was mainly focused on Alex Zedra, pictured above, who played a character called Mara. They released skins with her in a tank top or even shiny leggings, but nothing crazy. Now, however, it looks like they're going to dial it up a notch, and hence they've received an ESRB rating that mentions quite a lot of explicit content.
ESRB Rating Reveals Sexual Content In MW2
The ESRB rating for Modern Warfare 2 has been released, and it describes a kind of red-light district in the game that will either be a part of the campaign or one of the multiplayer maps. Here's exactly what the rating authority described to justify their judgement:
A red-light district depicts neon signs with female figures advertising “Live Sex Theater”; other signs reference lingerie, aphrodisiacs, and fetish/S&M costumes.
You might be sat there thinking "well if it's only one area in the game, why does it matter?" But what the smart cookies over at Activision have done here is opened a door for themselves.
Now they have an ESRB rating for the game which takes into account "lingerie, aphrodisiacs, and fetish/S&M costumes" they can begin pumping out skins which contain the same kinds of clothing without facing any legal ramifications. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I would bet an irresponsible amount of money on that being the case. And why wouldn't they? Mara has remained one of the most popular skins in the entire game. Hell, even Terminator hasn't been able to overtake her.
Of course, I really hope they don't just steal skins to meet this demand (and trust me Activision have no problem with stealing skins), so at least some budding young artists can also profit from this move. But only time will tell exactly how far they're willing to go.
Besides all the birds and bees in MW2, what about actual gameplay features?